A Legion Condor Document Group to the 53rd Bomber Squadron; Honor Goblet

A Legion Condor Document Group to the 53rd Bomber Squadron; Honor Goblet

A Legion Condor Document Group to the 53rd Bomber Squadron; Honor Goblet - to Bomber Pilot Gustav Schmitz: one 1941 Iron Cross 1st Class Document, One 1942 Bestowal Document for the Bomber Clasp in Silver, One 1942 Document for the Bomber Clasp in Gold, One 1942 Honour Goblet Document with Facsimile Goering Signature, One 1942 Eastern Front Medal Document, One 1943 Bestowal Document for the Bomber Clasp in Gold with Hanger. All documents are unfolded and in excellent condition. The Iron Cross Document is dated the 16th of November, 1941 to Obergefreiten Schmitz, a Pilot of 53rd Bomber Squadron, the “Condor Legion.” It also bears the original signature of Generalfeldmarschall Albert Kesselring, Commander of Luftflotte 2, nicknamed “Smiling Albert” by his troops. On January 6th of 1942 he received the Front Flying Clasp in Silver while serving in the same unit. On February 10th of the same year he was awarded the Flying Clasp in Gold. On April 1st, 1942, while holding the rank of Unteroffizier in the Condor Legion, he was awarded the Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe. The document bears a facsimile Goering signature and is in excellent shape. On July 10th, 1942 he was awarded the Eastern Front Medal for his unit’s participation in Operation Barbarossa. On May 12th, 1943, while serving as Feldwebel in the 53rd Bomber Wing he was awarded the Bomber Clasp in Gold with Hangers indicating 300 successful operational sorties.

Die-stamped bronze, 52.5 mm x 53 mm, fine.
Footnote: Zimmermann was a well known German manufacturer of a great variety of awards, German and International, and was destroyed in an allied bombing raid in the early 1940's on Pforzheim, Germany. Sometime in 1990, during construction on the site, a quantity of medals was discovered (about 50 kilos) and bought by eMedals. Some were in good condition, but most of the pieces exhibited fire damage, or were rusted and damaged. Hundreds of pieces were partially finished, and some items were just medal parts, as one would expect to be found in the factory.